Modern aircraft rely on efficient heat sink options for thermal management. The jet fuel that is supplied to the propulsion engines is often a convenient sink for excess thermal energy, and the energy is efficiently retained in the engine thermodynamic cycle. The presence of molecular oxygen or entrained air limits the ability of fuel to absorb heat beyond approximately 300° F. without undergoing deleterious thermal degradation. Thermal degradation often appears as solid materials which adhere to surfaces and degrades fuel system performance increase. Moreover, wetted surfaces comprised of metallic materials can further catalyze the reaction of oxygen with fuel and subsequent formation of carbonaceous, coke-like material.
It is possible to substantially reduce coke-based fuel degradation by removing oxygen from the fuel prior to increasing the fuel temperature beyond about 300° F. Several deoxygenation techniques have been developed. However, these often use equipment that is subject to fouling, which can lead to increased maintenance, and/or process steps that are difficult to control. Moreover, most fuel deoxygenation systems include separate gas/fuel contactors and gas/fuel separators. Presently known contactors and separators are undesirably large in volume and weight.
Therefore, there is a need for a relatively low-maintenance, and/or relatively easy-to-control deoxygenation system that does not rely on relatively large volume and weight contactors and separators. The present disclosure addresses at least these needs.